Cruz at big tea party rally cites ‘a great awakening’ (UPDATE)

Ted Cruz and his wife, Heidi, strode on to the FreePAC conference stage to the tune of “If You’re Gonna Play in Texas (You Gotta have a Fiddle in the Band).” Unclear on the significance.

Cruz started with a joke: “So, is this the Obama re-election party?”

Ted Cruz gets a warm response from tea party faithful Thursday at FreedomWorks.

He quickly launched into praise for FreedomWorks, which organized the big tea party rally and is supporting his battle against Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst for the GOP nomination for U.S. Senate: “God. Bless. FreedomWorks.

Blessings were also called upon Texas and the tea party.

Cruz criticized the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling to uphold the federal health care law, which he called ‘a shot heard round the world”

“There is a great awakening that is sweeping this state, that is sweeping this country,” Cruz said, getting warm response as he said people are calling for “new leaders who will stand and fight for liberty, who will defend the U.S. Constitution, and who will stop spending money.”

He guided the audience into an enthusiastic call and response “with apologies to Barack Obama.”

“Can we restore the U.S. Constitution?” Cruz began.

The crowd: “Yes.”

Cruz corrected, “Yes we can.”

They took his lead, answering “Yes we can” when Cruz asked if they could take the U.S. Senate, repeal “Obamacare,” and so on.

Cruz spoke after a roster including Richard Mourdock, who beat longtime incumbent Richard Lugar to win the GOP nod for U.S. Senate; FreedomWorks leader Dick Armey, former House majority leader; and radio host and CNN contributor Dana Loesch, who blistered the media over mistakes in coverage of the Colorado shootings and other issues.

“I studied journalism for a while, and then I said, ‘Screw this,’” Loesch said.

Up later in the program: Conservative U.S. Sens Mike Lee and Rand Paul.

UPDATE: Lee and Paul were joined by Sen. Jim DeMint in speaking to the crowd and in meeting with reporters afterward, along with Cruz and Mourdock. They expressed confidence in Cruz’s chances in Tuesday’s election.

Thursday’s gathering was the first FreePAC. Organizers want to make it an annual affair, with one person describing it as a ‘more grassrootsy” alternative to CPAC.